The FIA's World Motor Sport Council has announc🔯ed that a bonus point system will be implemented in the World Rally Championship next season.

The announcement was the big WR𝓀C news to come out of the latest meeting of the WMSC in Paris yesterday 💖[Wednesday] and will result in three drivers getting the chance to add to their championship tally on each event.

Every round of the season will feature a stage on the final day which will be used 'for the purpose of enhancing television coverage', with the top three drivers scoring🀅 points on the scale of 3-2-1.

Speaking ahead of Rally Japan this weekend, b🤡oth Sebastien Loeb and J𒈔ari-Matti Latvala backed the move, although Latvala said he felt the running order for the live test would need to be changed.

"I think it's a great idea," he said. "We need more live TV, for the audience it's good. But for the points, if you are in the lead and opening the road, then you hav▨e no chance to get those [live TV stage] points. If we do this then we should reverse the order like we did in Finland for the last stage."

"I think to have points, if it brings some TV, why not?" Loeb added. "At the moment, 🍨the rally doesn't need more points but it needs more media - if it's the right sol💝ution, why not?"

Amongst other changes, a two-wheel drive class will be introduced into the Production World Rally Champi🦄onship while new engin♕e rules will see top teams only allowed to use two engines per car from the fifth round onwards.

As a result, teams will hope that any issues with the new 1.6-litre💝🅺 turbo-charged engines are resolved quickly at the start of the year.